


Two Halves

by captainofbrooklyn



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friendship, Gen, Henry is Hiccup in case you didn't realize, Man this movie made me cry, Modern Era, Reincarnation, This involved no editing, httyd 3 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 08:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainofbrooklyn/pseuds/captainofbrooklyn
Summary: A young prince waits for a dragon. An old dragon waits for his human.“But where did the dragons go, Daddy? Why didn’t they come back?”My father glanced behind his shoulder, checking to make sure no one was there. “No one knows, Henry,” he smiled. “Except for us. The chief told his children the tale of the dragons. And they told theirs. And on and on until now, where I’m telling it to you.”“Where are they, Daddy?” I bounced in his lap. “Where are they?”“They say the dragons are beneath the Earth,” he said. “In the Hidden World. The Night Fury rules over them, and they wait there, till it is safe to be with humans once more.”





	Two Halves

I love Berk in the winter. Pure snow decorates the rooftops. The sound of cars on the cobbled streets stops, and when I look down from the palace, I can see all the houses glowing with light. But Berk is also up north. We’re a quiet kingdom, and while we may believe in electricity, we don’t believe in electrical heating. 

 

I pull my coat closer. The sky is empty, except for the few stars visible, but I can sense it. It will come tonight. 

 

When I was a boy, I would go by the cliffs and admire the sky for hours. My sketchbook is still littered with everything I drew there: the clouds, fire and lightning, and a dragon. A dragon sleek and black, with grass-green eyes and an intelligent stare. Every night, I dreamt that he would one day come to me, like he was the other half of my soul. One time, I dreamt of riding with him, my fingers tracing the clouds as I looked down at my homeland. 

 

And so I wait for him. Not every night, but every night that I can. I have other things in my life- I’m leaving Berk to go study engineering. Most people in Berk don’t do that. We’re a proud group of people. These snowy mountains are our home. 

 

But when your father is the King, I guess the rules are different. My dad and I have always struggled with our differences. He’s a big, burly man whose every step ripples through the ground. I, on the other hand, am nothing but a twig- twisted pale limbs and a mat of brown hair. My mom, the Queen, isn’t around. They say that one day she went sailing, and she never came back. 

 

The funny thing is, I’ve always wanted to sail. 

 

I sit by the cliffs. I am ready for this. More ready than I have ever been in my life. I know what other people think of me. They think I’m crazy; that I’m a nuisance; that my dad is ashamed of me. But I know the dragon is real, somehow. Even though I’ve never seen it. Even though the dragons disappeared, or were never real in the first place. 

 

The only person who knows about the dragon is my dad. When the dreams first started, they weren’t dreams. They were vicious nightmares of the dragon hissing at me, his mouth alight with purple fire. He would shove me against a jagged rock and roar at me, and then it would be over. I remember laying in my bed, shaking and crying until my father came in. He carried me downstairs until we reached the fireplace. 

 

“Henry, my boy,” he said gruffly. “What’s the matter with you?” 

 

“It-” I swallowed. My father, especially back then, was so large and impressive. I didn’t want him to think I was a coward. “It was a dragon, Daddy. He was trying to kill me.” I buried myself in his beard and cried. “He- he was black, and had these fangs-” 

 

My father stilled. “Henry, did I ever tell you of the Hidden World?” 

 

I removed myself from his beard. “The what? What is that, Daddy?” 

 

“The Hidden World,” he repeated. “Do you know of our family, my boy?” I nodded. Stoick shook his head. “No, you don’t, Henry. There is so much you do not know.” 

 

He took a deep breath. “Our family’s been ruling Berk for over a thousand years. And it seems like we’ve always been here.” He paused. “But we haven’t. There was once another Berk, back in the east. I don’t know if it’s still there.” 

 

I gasped. “That’s not possible! This has always been Berk!” 

 

My father laughed and ruffled my hair. “True, true. But Berk is its people, not its land. And once its land was ruled by a mighty chief. They said he could tame any dragon that came his way. Including a Night Fury.” 

 

“Night Fury?” 

 

“The most dangerous dragon of all. He was invisible at night due to his dark color, and when he wanted to, he could summon lightning from the gods themselves.” 

 

It was the dragon from my dream. I started crying again, but my father hushed me. “It’s not like that,” he said. “The chief and the dragon were the best of friends. Everyday they’d ride through the night sky. They were two halves of the same coin. Dragon and human.” 

 

I frowned. “Daddy, what happened after that? Where did the dragons go?” 

 

My father sighed. He rubbed his eyes, like he was exhausted, though it was only midnight. The fire crackled before us as he said: “They say that a dragon hunter targeted Berk. The man who murdered all the other Night Furies had come to kill the last one.” 

 

“No!” I protested. “The chief stopped him, right?” 

 

“The chief made the decision to leave his old home behind, and bring his people- our people- here.” He gestured to our large living room. “All of this, Henry, is because of him. And the sacrifices he made.” 

 

“Like what?” I said, even though I knew the answer. 

 

“Henry,” he brushed the hair out of my eyes. “My dear boy. The chief knew it was not time for dragons and humans to be together, despite what he wanted. We humans were too dangerous for them. Too ambitious. Too clever. Too violent. So he let the dragons go, including his best friend.” 

 

Tears prickled my eyes once more, but not for the same reason. “But where did the dragons go, Daddy? Why didn’t they come back?” 

 

My father glanced behind his shoulder, checking to make sure no one was there. “No one knows, Henry,” he smiled. “Except for us. The chief told his children the tale of the dragons. And they told theirs. And on and on until now, where I’m telling it to you.” 

 

“Where are they, Daddy?” I bounced in his lap. “Where are they?” 

 

“They say the dragons are beneath the Earth,” he said. “In the Hidden World. The Night Fury rules over them, and they wait there, till it is safe to be with humans once more.” 

 

I smiled, until I remembered something. “But the chief, Daddy….” I sniffled. “He’s dead. The dragon will never see him again.” 

 

My father gave me an odd look. He hugged me in his lap and kissed me on the forehead. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Henry.” He started to carry me back up to my room. “Life always finds a way.” 

 

We never talked about the dragon after that. Sometimes, I think my dad believes it was just a fairytale meant to calm a sobbing child. Other times, I catch him watching the sky too. I think he’s also waiting for the dragon. Or maybe he’s waiting for me to find it. 

 

“Come on, come on,” I mutter at the stars. “It has to be tonight.” Nothing happens. The sky remains devoid of any dragon. It’s only sheer clouds and the full moon that keep me company. I glance back behind me. I know my dad worries about me. He doesn’t like me sneaking out on my own. His guard, Gobber, usually serves as my babysitter too. I don’t have that much time until they find me. 

 

I shake as the chill begins to set in. I can imagine the dragon staring back at me from the sky, smiling. I stand up. There’s  _ something  _ in my right now. I can feel it. It’s almost here. 

 

One moment, I am staring. The next, a flash of purple races through the sky, followed by a mighty roar. I duck instinctively, but I see a blob of black roll through the flames. It lights up with what I realize is electricity. 

 

The hairs on the back of my head stand up. “Toothless,” I shout, even though I have no idea what that means. “TOOTHLESS!” I run through the forest shouting its name over and over again. “TOOTHLESS!” 

 

The dragon vanishes in the blink of an eye. I collapse onto the ground, sobbing just like I did as a child. The dragon was there. It was there, and I  _ saw  _ it. 

 

And now it’s gone. 

 

I don’t know how long I cried. My body ached from my run through the woods, and I realized how worn out I was. I would have to walk back through the streets of Berk. Someone would alert my father. And everyone would know that the Crazy Prince had failed once again. 

 

I buried my face in the snow. I would go back, but not now. I need time. “Toothless,” I say. “Your name is Toothless.” I don’t know how I know that name, and I don’t care either. 

 

Suddenly, I hear something. I think it could be a branch snapping. But then I hear it again. It’s quiet and low and powerful. It’s the growl of a dragon. 

 

I turn around, and I see the same eyes that have haunted me for years staring back at me. The dragon examines me, slowly approaching. I don’t dare move. 

 

“Toothless?” I whisper. “Is that you?” 

 

The dragon places its snout near my face. I’m frozen for a second, but somehow, my hand creeps up and touches it. We stay that way for a while, and then the dragon pulls back. He looks at me; I look at him. And then the dragon smiles. He nuzzles my cheek. 

 

He can’t speak the way I can, but I know what he’s saying. I think I’ve always known. I lean into him and he purrs like a cat. 

 

“Toothless,” I say. “I was looking for you for so long.” 

 

_ Of course,  _ I can imagine him saying.  _ And I’ve done the same for you _ . 

 

And there we stay, dragon and human. A king and a boy. Two halves of the same coin. 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy did HTTYD 3 make me cry like a baby. Anyways, I had this idea on the drive home and had to get it out. Please leave any criticism/praise you have in the comments. I'd love to know! Have a great day!


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